Contigo
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Had the pleasure of spending most of yesterday in a 18 plate F-type SVR.
First impressions on aesthetics were impressive if not a little ripspeed on the new active aero rear carbon spoiler but it's nice to know you can spec the smaller fixed wing if this is not for you. The front apron is huge and the bonnet extremely long which is not surprising based on the E-type proportions and the fact there is a 5.0 Supercharged V8 shoehorned into that area. The car we test drove was in a special order hue specced by the dealer after a visit to SVO. Apparently everything and anything can be added to these cars including stitching and even sticker packs (why?). It's all a little bit crass on a car like this but I guess at this price range (£110k new but £75k used) it can attract the rice boy types.
Jumping in and firing up the V8 via the usual starter button which barks into life is a nice experience although with the high sills I don't think jumping in is something any of us would be doing, it's more of a pantomime. The interior is well layed out but not sure why they chose to stop the Alcantara mid way around the centre console and dash top. You'll see in the video what I mean and as you move lower in the cabin the quality of the fixtures and fittings really does start to deteriorate, especially around the sills and door bottoms. The soundtrack with the exhaust valves open sounds a little too contrived for my liking and just start to tire after an hour or so. It's not so much the deep soundtrack but the overrun forced sounds that are clearly written into the map.
Once out on the open road (think B roads as a first test) it hunkers down well and the power is instantaneous, really this car is up there with some of the supercars we have driven (458, 12C, Gallardo etc) and it pulls so quickly through the rev range with almost no whine from the vortex supercharger. The money that has been investing in the design of the car has mostly been spent on Aero (carbon knuckles, Active Aero spoiler) and it grips well with huge downforces. Pushing on though in the twisties and under hard braking the car is very unsettled. I'm not sure if this is down to Torque Vector braking but somehow the car seems to be constantly adjusting itself in the corners and after driving the car I read an EVO Magazine review and that was also mentioned by Dan Prosser after his test drive. The car will hang on once it has settled into the corner but it just feels very fidgety and unpredictable which isn't ideal in a car with 575 bhp. The only way I could break traction was by disabling DSC completely and giving it a boot full in first gear exiting a roundabout and only then was there any over steer. The SVR is an AWD car but predominantly uses the rear wheels until slip occurs and then it diverts power to the front wheels. You can feel this even in Dynamic mode as it pushes the car towards under-steer!
Negatives out of the way the SVR is a great daily and a real head turner and will offer some serious thrills at a very good price point. Here's a video too.
First impressions on aesthetics were impressive if not a little ripspeed on the new active aero rear carbon spoiler but it's nice to know you can spec the smaller fixed wing if this is not for you. The front apron is huge and the bonnet extremely long which is not surprising based on the E-type proportions and the fact there is a 5.0 Supercharged V8 shoehorned into that area. The car we test drove was in a special order hue specced by the dealer after a visit to SVO. Apparently everything and anything can be added to these cars including stitching and even sticker packs (why?). It's all a little bit crass on a car like this but I guess at this price range (£110k new but £75k used) it can attract the rice boy types.
Jumping in and firing up the V8 via the usual starter button which barks into life is a nice experience although with the high sills I don't think jumping in is something any of us would be doing, it's more of a pantomime. The interior is well layed out but not sure why they chose to stop the Alcantara mid way around the centre console and dash top. You'll see in the video what I mean and as you move lower in the cabin the quality of the fixtures and fittings really does start to deteriorate, especially around the sills and door bottoms. The soundtrack with the exhaust valves open sounds a little too contrived for my liking and just start to tire after an hour or so. It's not so much the deep soundtrack but the overrun forced sounds that are clearly written into the map.
Once out on the open road (think B roads as a first test) it hunkers down well and the power is instantaneous, really this car is up there with some of the supercars we have driven (458, 12C, Gallardo etc) and it pulls so quickly through the rev range with almost no whine from the vortex supercharger. The money that has been investing in the design of the car has mostly been spent on Aero (carbon knuckles, Active Aero spoiler) and it grips well with huge downforces. Pushing on though in the twisties and under hard braking the car is very unsettled. I'm not sure if this is down to Torque Vector braking but somehow the car seems to be constantly adjusting itself in the corners and after driving the car I read an EVO Magazine review and that was also mentioned by Dan Prosser after his test drive. The car will hang on once it has settled into the corner but it just feels very fidgety and unpredictable which isn't ideal in a car with 575 bhp. The only way I could break traction was by disabling DSC completely and giving it a boot full in first gear exiting a roundabout and only then was there any over steer. The SVR is an AWD car but predominantly uses the rear wheels until slip occurs and then it diverts power to the front wheels. You can feel this even in Dynamic mode as it pushes the car towards under-steer!
Negatives out of the way the SVR is a great daily and a real head turner and will offer some serious thrills at a very good price point. Here's a video too.
